Currently, when clinicians perform PRP (Platelet Rich Plasma) treatments, they withdraw blood from the patient's vein, spin it in a centrifuge to separate the blood components, discard the majority of the blood products and keep only the thin layer of platelet rich plasma. The clinician then uses a syringe with a cannula to suction this layer into the syringe. At this point, the clinician may mix this PRP with a stem cell liquid or other liquid component in the barrel of the syringe. This entire process involves having the blood product come into contact with containers and syringes that have been sterilized. The clinician can then either 1) inject this liquid into the skin with a hypodermic syringe or 2) express the liquid (squirt it out) onto the skin.
For clinicians performing the latter, the process now involves evenly distributing the liquid that has been expressed onto the skin. This raises a contamination issue. Currently, clinicians use a gloved finger to rub and distribute the liquid product onto the skin. The gloves that are worn are not sterile. Observation of a demonstration of PRP hair and face restorative procedures by a highly respected plastic surgeon revealed that she used her glove finger to rub and distribute blood product. This introduced contaminants into the process.
It would be desirable to have a sterile applicator to distribute liquid product onto a patient's skin. The applicator should perform a few functions and also give the clinician options. First, the applicator must be sterile. As the barrel syringe is a common item that comes in a sterile package, the applicator must have all the components that attach to the barrel syringe sterilized and packaged in a sealed pouch.
In many cases, a 20 gauge cannula is used to draw liquid into the syringe. However, there are times when certain centrifuge kits have their own cannula provided. An applicator system may include a sterile removable cannula that is distal to the tip of the applicator.
The applicator must be soft to the skin but firm enough to effectively spread the liquid. At the same time, it should be non-absorbent so that expensive product is not wasted during use.
The entire assembly of cannula, connector, applicator, and its connection to the syringe must have a continuous lumen so liquid can be drawn from the distal cannula tip into the syringe. Further, the applicator could also be used to express expensive biologics, drugs, or cosmetic liquids that have previously been drawn into a syringe or are actually packaged in a syringe. As most syringes incorporate a standard luer lock, an embodiment of the applicator incorporates a standard luer lock connection.
The applicator may also be combined with a microneedle platform. A microneedling apparatus may be used for percutaneous delivery of bioactive agents, such as medicines or cosmetics, to the body. Microneedling is relatively painless, and it facilitates rapid diffusion of the delivered substance through the dermis, as the microneedles physically penetrate the barrier of the epidermis. A detachable microneedle platform with a lumen extending from the syringe allows the user to apply treatment liquid coincident with microneedling, and if desired the platform may be detached so the soft applicator is available to spread the product onto the surface.